Chapter 40: ...Through The World

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(One Small Favor: Part 2/5)

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"A quick favor?" I asked.

"Well, maybe not quick," Bonnie admitted with a smile. "But it shouldn't take you too long."

Here we go again. "Shoot."

Bonnie continued. "Since we're picking up all the eucalypt leaves—the ingredient we were originally and mistakenly gonna use as carrot compost—we're gonna need something else to replace it, something that'll prevent erosion and retain soil moisture," she explained, pointing down the long road. "My brother Terry should have plenty of extra carrot compost at his farm. He's just a few miles down that way. Tell him I sent you and he should give you two bags. Could you do that for us?"

I looked where she was pointing, spotted a distinct red-colored barn out in the distance, and replied, "Sure."

"Oh, thank you, Cherry! Our family and I would really appreciate it!" Bonnie cupped her paws together, allowing her son to drop off a few eucalypt leaves he found on the field. "While you're out, we'll work on this koala blankie. Be sure to tell my brother Terry I sent you so he can give you the carrot compost!"

"Will do," I agreed to the plan, starting up the motorcycle.

Terry's farm was only a short distance down the main road in the Eastern part of Bunnyburrow. After a five-minute drive, I pulled into his lot and realized how isolated it was compared to the rest of the farm fields. Not a soul in sight. Just barn houses, bales of hay, and grain silos. That may be a good thing.

His driveway was cluttered with rusty farm equipment, so I had to park behind his 1-acre cabbage field and walk. Over on the front lawn of his home, I spotted a crudely assembled wooden sign that read:

Please Trespass

(Unles you one of dem preds or alienz, then NO TRESPASSING!)

Pulling my hood over, I ignored the warning and proceeded to the front door. Either the doorbell was broken, or I must've pushed it too hard. Regardless, I knocked three times on the panel and waited for some mammal to show up.

The front porch was much too small for a human, so I sat on its wooden steps, admiring the vast view of the Bunnyburrow farmlands. It looked so peaceful that I wanted to stop and meditate. I spoke so fondly of Rainforest District, thinking it was the perfect place, but this rural landscape was just as beautiful.

At that moment, the front door swung wide open.

I turned around and saw a bunny holding a pitchfork. He had messy gray fur, a bandage over his toe, dirty overalls, and a piece of hay in his mouth.

"HEY, YOU! WHADDYA DOIN' ON MA PROPERTY!" he yelled profusely, shaking a fist at me. "DIDN'T YA READ DA SIGN?! GET OFF!"

I stood up, causing the frightened yet aggressive bunny to change into a defensive stance and point his pitchfork like a spear. He spoke like an angry elderly mammal even though he wasn't elderly.

"Easy, Terry," I held my hands up.

"DON'T YA COME ANY CLOSER!" he warned, prepping the pitchfork. "OR YA GONNA GET DA TRIDENT OF ALL CARROTS."

I took a step closer. "I just need some carrot compost," I tried to reason, only to earn a solid jab from him. The chest armor blocked his attack with ease.

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